Ellen Degeneres Talks American Idol

On this morning’s morning show with Ryan Seacrest, the hilarious talk show host said the job offer was completely unexpected. “They didn’t even ask me to be a guest judge,” she admitted. “It just went straight to ‘Would you like to be…'”

She went on, saying “I hope Paula is OK with it,” adding that she hasn’t spoken with the former judge, nor talked to Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson or Kara DioGuardi. “I don’t want anybody to think that I took Paula’s job away,” she dished.

She expressed her shock about Paula’s exit from the show earlier this summer. “I was shocked, I think, like everybody else. Paula was a huge part of the show. I think that she’s kind of part of the American Idol family, that’s how I felt.

“I don’t really know what happened, and I was sad and thought there’s a hole that needs to be filled by someone who’s going to contribute in a totally different way…I didn’t think for a second that would be me.”

So what can we expect from her as a judge? “I’m gonna have fun with it. The one thing you know about me is I’m very honest. But I think you can be honest in a pretty kind way. I hope to be that compassionate person, ’cause that’s the one thing Paula did bring is that compassion and that empathy.”

We really can’t wait!

What about you? Are you excited to see Ellen on American Idol every week? Share your thoughts below!